Screen Australia Narrative Content Development
Grant · 2026Prestige 74/100
Always open, no fee, and a lone writer can apply. But it is repayable if the project goes into production.
Deadlines & fees
Rolling applications
Always open. Applications can be made at any time through Screen Australia's portal, with assessment taking approximately eight weeks from the point eligibility is confirmed. There are no rounds and no deadlines to plan around. The guidelines were issued on 1 July 2025 and updated on 2 July 2026, so the stable pattern here is annual guideline revision rather than an annual application window.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, TV Pilot
- Open to
- Australia
- Required materials
- A story document appropriate to the stage applied for: an outline of 3 to 10 pages, a treatment of 10 to 20, a scriptment of 20 to 50, a mini-bible of 5 to 15, or a draft script of up to 130 pages · A writing sample of up to 15 pages if the applicant has no credits on that platform · A story development plan and a project plan · A diversity, equity and inclusion plan where relevant · Evidence of third-party funding and co-production agreements where relevant · One optional additional item of up to 10 pages
An individual applicant must be an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident holding a permanent visa, and the project must be written and directed by Australian citizens or permanent residents, except for anticipated official co-productions. An Australian Business Number is required, and GST registration where the law requires it. A LONE WRITER CAN APPLY: the programme is open to companies and individuals, either alone or as part of a team as co-applicants. Note the catch on returning, though: if you secure initial funding without a producer or production company attached, any further application must have one. Eligible formats are online and direct-to-audience content including VR, XR, AR and social media, episodic or feature-length television including streaming and broadcast video on demand, and theatrical feature film, with a production budget not exceeding 30 million Australian dollars. Ineligible: documentary, factual, sporting or entertainment content, games, unofficial co-productions, retrospective costs, purchase of underlying intellectual property, proof-of-concept or teaser production costs, and projects currently or previously funded by or under a development agreement with a commissioning platform such as a broadcaster or streamer. Projects declined twice are barred.
Prizes
Between 10,000 and 50,000 Australian dollars per application, with no cap on the number of awards published and funding made continuously rather than in rounds. READ THE REPAYMENT TERM BEFORE THE HEADLINE: Screen Australia states that funding will be provided by way of grant, repayable to Screen Australia if the project goes into production, whether or not that project receives production funding from Screen Australia. Note the trigger is the project going into production rather than the first day of principal photography, which is the wording used in a different Screen Australia document that does not govern this scheme. No premium, uplift or interest on repayment is published. There is also a tax consequence: where development funding is not repaid because the project is produced, that expenditure cannot be claimed as qualifying Australian production expenditure. RIGHTS: Screen Australia takes no option, first refusal, profit participation or copyright share at development stage. The obligations run the other way, requiring applicants to control the rights, to hold or be able to acquire an assignment of all underlying rights including copyright for the project and any sequels, spinoffs and remakes, and to hold options on underlying works running at least 18 months from the date of application. Projects receiving 100,000 dollars or more in combined Screen Australia funding must supply a solicitor's opinion letter validating chain of title.
Judging
Applications are assessed against published criteria by Screen Australia staff with industry specialists consulted as required, plus First Nations assessors and specialist or cultural assessors for relevant projects; no individuals are named. The weighting is published: story 60 per cent, talent and development 20 per cent, audience and budget 20 per cent. Assessment takes approximately eight weeks from the moved-to-assessment email. Feedback is explicitly not provided due to application volume, and decisions on applications are final. Successful applicants enter a Development Grant Agreement, and development activities must begin after contracting since retrospective costs cannot be covered.
The PreList verdict
Always open, no application fee, no deadline to miss, a decision in about eight weeks, and between 10,000 and 50,000 Australian dollars that can pay your own writing fee. Better still, a writer can apply entirely alone: the programme is open to individuals as well as companies, and a producer only becomes mandatory if you come back for a second tranche having been funded without one. For an Australian screenwriter that combination is close to unmatched anywhere in this directory.
The honest part, and it is the third time this week we have found it: this is a grant in name and repayable in substance. Screen Australia states that funding is provided by way of grant, repayable if the project goes into production, whether or not it receives production funding from Screen Australia. Note the trigger carefully, because it is broader than the usual formulation: it is the project going into production, not the first day of principal photography. No premium or interest is published, which makes it gentler than the Welsh equivalent, but it is money you may owe back rather than money you keep. There is also a tax sting: if the funding is not repaid on a produced project, that spend cannot be claimed as qualifying Australian production expenditure.
Two practical gates. Your production budget must not exceed 30 million Australian dollars, and anything already funded by or under a development agreement with a broadcaster or streamer is out entirely. Feedback is explicitly not provided and decisions are final, so a decline gives you nothing to work with, and a project declined twice is barred for good.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay it back?
Potentially, yes. Screen Australia states the funding is provided by way of grant, repayable if the project goes into production, whether or not it receives Screen Australia production funding. The trigger is going into production rather than the first day of principal photography. No premium or interest is published.
Can I apply without a producer?
Yes, for a first award. The programme is open to individuals applying alone as well as to companies and teams. But if you secure initial funding without a producer or production company attached, any further application must have one.
When is the deadline?
There isn't one. Applications are accepted at any time through Screen Australia's portal, with an outcome roughly eight weeks after eligibility is confirmed. There are no rounds.
Who can apply?
Australian citizens or permanent residents holding a permanent visa, with an Australian Business Number. The project must also be written and directed by Australian citizens or permanent residents, except for anticipated official co-productions, and the production budget must not exceed 30 million Australian dollars.
Is your script right for Screen Australia Narrative Content Development?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this grant: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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